1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, generally, to the waste disposal industry. More particularly, it relates to a cart having a rotatable mechanism for retrieving, transporting, lifting, and emptying heavy compacted waste from a novel portable container into a large waste receptacle such as a dumpster.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Large machines called compactors are used in many industries for compacting waste materials to save space. A compactor is essentially a box with a motor-driven plate in it that compresses waste in the box. The compressed waste is then pressed into a portable waste container and the portable waste container is then transported to a dumpster.
Perhaps the most difficult part of the waste disposal process is the emptying of the portable waste container. The invention disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,475 to the present inventor entitled xe2x80x9cRetriever And Cart For Handling Heavy Containersxe2x80x9d discloses a retriever that retrieves and transports multiple waste containers at one time. However, it includes no means for elevating a waste container to a preselected height and for rotating the container upon attaining that height so that the contents of the waste container may be discharged therefrom under the influence of gravity into a floor level waste receptacle.
Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus that lifts and rotates a waste container so that its contents may be dumped into a floor level waste receptacle.
The highly compressed waste in the portable waste container may also become stuck in the container. Thus, there is also a need for an improved waste container that is designed so that the compressed waste therein falls out easily when the waste container is emptied.
It is also not an easy task for a single worker to retrieve a heavy waste container from a compactor, and to transport it to a dumpster. Most systems require a worker manually place the waste container on a cart.
Thus a need exists for a retriever mechanism that enables a single worker to retrieve a waste container in the substantial absence of manual effort.
However, in view of the prior art considered as a whole at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art how the identified needs could be efficiently and elegantly fulfilled.
The long-standing but heretofore unfulfilled need for an apparatus operated by a single worker that retrieves a portable waste container from a compactor, transports it to a dumpster, and that elevates and rotates the waste container to empty it into a dumpster in the substantial absence of physical exertion by the worker is now met by a new, useful, and nonobvious invention.
The novel manually-operated cart of this invention is adapted to retrieve a novel portable waste container from a compactor, transport the waste container to a dumpster, elevate the waste container to a preselected height, and to dump the contents of the waste container into a larger waste collection receptacle.
The portable waste container is novel as well because it is designed to prevent waste tightly compacted therein from becoming stuck so that it slides out easily upon tilting of the container by the novel cart.
The novel portable cart includes a vertical back frame formed primarily by a pair of parallel, transversely opposed, upstanding (vertical) channel members. A barrier means is fixedly secured to a preselected channel member of the back frame at a preselected height. The barrier means serves as a pivot point and performs the function of causing the waste container to rotate as it is lifted as more fully described hereinafter.
A pair of parallel, horizontally disposed support arms are secured to the respective lower ends of the channel members that form a part of the vertical back frame. The support arms extend from their respective channel members in cantilevered relation thereto in a forward direction. The forward end of each cantilevered support arm is supported by a rotatably mounted caster wheel and the rearward end of each cantilevered arm is supported by a primary tire.
A first and second auxiliary tire of a size smaller than the primary tires is rotatably mounted to the rearwardmost end of first and second rearwardly-extending cantilevered arms to enable an operator to safely tilt the cart back upon encountering an obstacle such as a curb.
A base frame is positioned between and adapted to movably engage the channel members so that the base frame is movable between a lower end of the back frame and an upper end of the back frame. A waste container-engaging frame is secured to the base frame. The waste container-engaging frame includes a back frame member secured to the base frame and a pair of parallel container-engaging members secured to opposite ends of the back frame. The parallel container-engaging members are mounted in cantilevered relation to the back frame member and extend in a horizontal plane in a forward direction. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cforwardxe2x80x9d refers to the side of the cart that supports the waste container and the term xe2x80x9crearwardxe2x80x9d refers to the side of the cart where the operator stands or walks when the cart is in use.
A winch means selectively lifts and lowers the base frame, and the container-engaging members that extend therefrom, along the vertical extent of the vertical back frame. The winch means may be provided in the form of a common boat winch. It is mounted on the rearward side of the vertical back frame at a preselected height so that it does not interfere with the raising and lowering of the base frame. The preselected height is selected to make the control handle of the winch easily operable by a person of ordinary height.
A waste container rotating means is secured to and supported by the base frame member. The waste container rotating means has a planar construction and is positioned in a vertical plane that is coplanar with the base frame and parallel to the plane of the vertical back frame. A track that slidingly receives the above-mentioned barrier means is formed in the waste container rotating means. The track has a vertical part, a horizontal part, and a gradual ninety-degree bend in open communication with the vertical and horizontal parts. The track is in vertical alignment with the barrier means so that the barrier means enters into the track when the winch means lifts the base frame and hence the waste container rotating means to a first preselected elevation above the barrier means.
The waste container is gradually inverted as the barrier means encounters the gradual ninety-degree bend as the winch means lifts the base frame to a second preselected elevation above the first preselected elevation. The base frame pivots about a fixed position axle member as the base member is lifted and lowered.
A waste container-engaging means holds the waste container as the waste container is rotated or tilted so that contents of the waste container fall from the waste container under the influence of gravity when the waste container is so rotated or tilted.
The novel container has four walls, each of which is preferably tapered on an inside surface thereof, first at a gradual taper as the side walls extend downwardly from the rim of the waste container and secondly at a steeper taper as the side walls approach the bottom wall of the container. Upstanding ribs that project inwardly from the side walls also serve to prevent a vacuum from forming in the waste container when a full plastic bag is pressed thereinto by a compactor.
The vertical back frame of the novel cart further includes a horizontal top frame that interconnects respective uppermost ends of the upstanding pair of channel members, a horizontal bottom frame that interconnects respective lowermost ends of said upstanding pair of channel members, and at least one horizontal interconnecting frame that interconnects the channel members at a preselected location between the top and bottom frames. The winch means is mounted to the at least one interconnecting frame.
Connection means are provided for interconnecting the winch means and the base frame so that operation of the winch means in a first direction lifts the base frame and so that operation of the winch means in a second direction lowers the base frame. The connection means is preferably provided in the form of a belt in lieu of ropes or chains.
A pulley is mounted to the horizontal top frame of the vertical back frame and the belt follows a path of travel that extends upwardly from the winch means, over the pulley with an angle of wrap nearly equal to one hundred eighty degrees, and downwardly to the base frame.
The base frame is formed by a pair of vertical base frame members that define opposite sides of the base member, a pair of horizontal base frame members that interconnect the pair of vertical base frame members to each other, and an engaging means secured to a preselected horizontal base frame member for enabling the belt to engage said preselected horizontal member of the pair of horizontal members.
A first upper wheel is engaged to an upper end of the first vertical base frame member on an outboard side thereof, a second upper wheel is engaged to an upper end of the second vertical base frame member on an outboard side thereof, a first lower wheel is engaged to a lower end of the first vertical base frame member on an outboard side thereof, and a second lower wheel is engaged to a lower end of the second vertical base frame member on an outboard side thereof. The first upper and lower wheels are disposed in engaging relation to a first channel member of the pair of vertical channel members that form the vertical back frame and the second upper and lower wheels are disposed in engaging relation to a second channel member of the pair of vertical channel members. The base frame is thereby constrained to travel upwardly and downwardly between the first and second channel members when the winch means is operated in a first direction and a second direction, respectively.
The waste container rotating means that is secured to the back frame in upstanding relation thereto includes the pair of horizontally disposed, forwardly-extending waste container-engaging arms, mentioned above, that perform the function their name expresses. A groove is formed in each arm of the pair of arms in confronting relation to one another and each groove is adapted to slidingly receive a flange formed in the waste container on opposite sides thereof. The grooves retain flanges when the waste container is rotated or tilted.
A retainer means is also provided to prevent the waste container from sliding from the grooves formed in said arms when the waste container is lifted and rotated. The retainer means includes a pair of pivotally mounted, generally xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d-shaped first and second retainers adapted to releasably engage a generally xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d-shaped lip formed in the waste container along a rearward edge thereof. A similar xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d-shaped lip is also formed along a forward edge of the waste container so that the operator may engage the novel waste container from the front or back.
The retainer means includes a plurality of truncate sleeves secured to said back frame member in longitudinally spaced apart relation to one another along the extent of the back frame member. An elongate rod means extends in ensleeved relation through each of the truncate sleeves. The elongate rod means is rotatable about a longitudinal axis of symmetry within the truncate sleeves. The xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d-shaped retainers are secured to opposite ends of the elongate rod in rotational alignment with one another. A lever is formed integrally with the first retainer and the elongate rod provides a fulcrum for the lever. A bias means holds the lever in a position of repose where the first retainer and hence the second retainer are disposed in engaging relation to the xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d-shaped lip formed in the waste container. The lever is adapted to be pivoted about the fulcrum by an operator. When pivoted out of the position of repose, the lever effects simultaneous and corresponding rotation of the elongate rod about its longitudinal axis so that the first retainer and the second retainer conjointly release the xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d-shaped lip formed in the waste container. When the lever is released, it is returned by the bias means to the position of repose where the first and second retainers engage the xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d-shaped lip and prevent sliding of the waste container from the grooves.
The novel braking means for braking the primary tires, which are preferably of the pneumatic type, include a vertically disposed, first wheel-mounting plate secured to a first channel member of the pair of channel members at a lower end thereof and a vertically disposed, second wheel-mounting plate secured to a second channel member of the pair of channel members at a lower end thereof. The first wheel-mounting plate has a first aperture formed therein near an upper end thereof, a vertically-extending slot formed substantially mid-length thereof, and a second aperture formed near a lower end thereof. The second wheel-mounting plate also has a first aperture formed therein near an upper end thereof, a vertically-extending slot formed substantially mid-length thereof, and a second aperture formed near a lower end thereof.
A mounting rod has its respective opposite ends rotatably positioned in the respective first apertures formed in the first and second wheel-mounting plates at the respective upper ends thereof. A braking rod, disposed in parallel relation to the mounting rod, has its respective opposite ends slideably positioned in the respective vertically extending slots formed in the first and second wheel-mounting plates. An axle rod has its respective opposite ends slideably positioned in the respective apertures formed in the first and second wheel-mounting plates at the respective lower ends thereof.
A first bias means is positioned in interconnecting relation between a first end of the mounting rod and a first end of the braking rod and a second bias means is positioned in interconnecting relation between a second end of the mounting rod-and a second end of the braking rod.
The first and second bias means position the braking rod at the respective upper ends of the vertically extending slots when the first and second bias means are in repose. A brake means overcomes the bias means and urges the braking rod into tight frictional engagement with the primary tires so that said primary tires cannot rotate when the bias means has been overcome.
The brake means includes a first locking plate having an aperture formed in its opposite ends. The first locking plate is positioned at a first end of the mounting rod and the first end of the mounting rod is received within an upper aperture of the pair of apertures formed in the first locking plate. A second locking plate has an aperture formed in its opposite ends and is positioned at a second end of the mounting rod and the second end of the mounting rod is received within an upper aperture of the pair of apertures formed in the second locking plate. A third locking plate has an aperture formed in its opposite ends and is positioned at a first end of the braking rod. The first end of the braking rod is received within a lower aperture of the pair of apertures formed in the third locking plate. A fourth locking plate has an aperture formed in its opposite ends and is positioned at a second end of the braking rod. The second end of the braking rod is received within a lower aperture of the pair of apertures formed in the fourth locking plate.
The first and second locking plates are pivotally joined to one another at a first pivot point defined by the lower aperture of the first locking plate and the upper aperture of the second locking plate. The third and fourth locking plates are pivotally joined to one another at a second pivot point defined by the lower aperture of the third locking plate and the upper aperture of the fourth locking plate.
When the bias means is in repose, the first and second pivot points are positioned rearwardly of the braking rod and when the bias means is overcome, the first and second pivot points are positioned forwardly of the braking rod. When positioned forwardly, the opposite ends of the braking rod press tightly against the pneumatic tires to prevent their rotation. A cam-over-center locking action is achieved when the first and second pivot points are displaced from their in repose, rearwardly position to their locking, forward position so that the locking action cannot be overcome unless a force greater than the cam-over-center locking action is generated.
The means for locking the primary tires is provided in the form of a first foot-operated lever that, when depressed, drives the first and second pivot points forwardly and the means for unlocking the primary tires is provided in the form of a second foot-operated lever that, when depressed, drives the first and second pivot points rearwardly. The first lever is secured to the first locking plates and the second lever is secured to the third locking plate.
Additional structure of the invention is disclosed in the detailed description that follows.
An important object of this invention is to provide a cart that enables an operator to retrieve a waste container from a compactor in the absence of substantial physical exertion.
A further object is to provide an apparatus that enables an operator to transport a retrieved waste container to a large waste receptacle in the substantial absence of physical exertion.
Another important object is to provide a waste container that easily releases its contents when rotated for emptying.
A further object is to provide an apparatus that lifts a heavy waste container to a preselected elevation and that rotates or tilts the container so that its contents fall therefrom under force of gravity into a larger waste receptacle.
A closely related object is to accomplish the foregoing objects with an apparatus that is safe and easy to operate without requiring an operator to have special skills.
These and other important objects, advantages, and features of the invention will become clear as this description proceeds.
The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts that will be exemplified in the description set forth hereinafter and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.